Linn County Conservation

Parks, Preserves, Natural Areas, Facilities, Trails...

For the benefit of the public, Linn County Conservation manages 28 areas, over 100 miles of multi-use trail, 320 campsites, a regionally-significant observatory, a learning center, a modern shooting range, a historic schoolhouse, an arboretum, a watercraft rental facility and offers high-quality educational programming.

Your county conservation program is supported by a property tax levy through the board of supervisors, user fees, state and federal grants, as well as gifts and donations.

The Linn County Conservation Board - since being established by an overwhelming vote of the people of Linn County in 1958 - now manages over 7,000 acres in the form of parks, preserves, natural areas, and linear parks (trails). Each year, the one million plus visitors to the Linn County parks provide an economic impact to our various local economies in excess of $20 million.

Conservation Board agenda and minutes can be accessed by clicking on the Agendas & Minutes tab and scrolling down to County Conservation Board

Linn County voters passed this ballot issue in November of 2016 with 74% approval:

Shall the County of Linn, State of Iowa, issue its general obligation bonds in an amount not exceeding forty million dollars for the purposes of protecting sources of drinking water and the water quality of rivers and streams, including the Cedar River and its tributaries; protecting and acquiring land to provide natural floodwater storage, improve water quality, protect natural areas and reduce flooding; providing funds to improve parks; providing biking and walking trails; and protecting wildlife habitat and natural areas, to be managed by the Linn County Conservation Board, with full public disclosure of all expenditures?

Click here regarding the progress of the Linn County Water and Land Legacy bond issue